"There has been a qualitative leap in Education, both in services and infrastructure." This was stated by the island director of Education, Juan Cruz, at a press conference in which he took stock of his "almost seven years" at the head of this position. Cruz will soon leave the Island Directorate of Education, after the Ministry of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands is taken over by the PSOE, following the alliance that the socialists sealed with CC. "I have learned a lot and I have enjoyed it, although I understand that I have had a complex time, difficult moments, with many changes in regulations and with the last two years of crisis," he said.
At the press conference, Cruz explained how the current educational map of the island is configured and pointed out that next year there will be again about 22,000 students. "There are only about 40 fewer children in Primary and Secondary this year," he said. However, compared to the decrease in students that has been registered in most municipalities, Costa Teguise and Playa Blanca have suffered a significant increase.
In fact, parents of the CEIP Costa Teguise came to denounce alleged "frauds" by other parents to get their children into this center, which has had to increase the number of places to accommodate all the children. "Everyone has been enrolled," Cruz stresses.
Services
The island director of Education wanted to highlight the improvements that, in his opinion, the island's schools have experienced in terms of dining rooms and school transport. In this sense, Cruz pointed out that compared to the 6 dining rooms that existed in 2006, Lanzarote now has 21 school dining rooms that serve 3,800 children. This service, Cruz specified, is provided by 6 companies and costs "about 600,000 euros" per year. "Other communities have taken the example of the Canary Islands, especially for the implementation of healthy menus," he said.
However, there are still four dining rooms pending to be launched. Two of them, the one in Argana Alta and the one in Los Geranios, have electrification problems. A situation that, according to Cruz, corresponds to the City Council of Arrecife to solve. The other two, for "strictly budgetary" reasons, are the dining rooms of the Mercedes Medina schools in Arrecife and La Asomada-Mácher. "The Treasury did not authorize more expenses in school dining rooms, but to maintain the existing ones, and it is expected that in next year's budgets it will be possible to solve and unblock it,"
Regarding school transport, Cruz stated that in 2006 it was "an anarchy". "Companies did not want to provide this service and now they fight for it," said the island director of Education. Thus, there are now 111 routes and 4,025 children are transported daily. The novelty, according to Cruz, is that the service is regulated, so that the children who use it "are always the same" and therefore, there is "greater security and greater control of school absenteeism". This service is provided by 8 companies and costs 18,000 euros per day, according to Cruz.
Another of the improvements that, according to Cruz, has occurred in education in Lanzarote is "the improvement of linguistic competence". Currently, the island has 31 bilingual centers out of a total of 70 educational centers. To this must be added the School of Languages that teaches a total of 1,600 people. There have also been improvements in the Teacher Training Center (CEP), which now teaches its subjects "online, à la carte, and not in person".
Cruz also highlighted the changes that have occurred in terms of students with special needs. Previously, these students had to go to the Tahíche center, while now the regulations have changed and they have 9 enclave classrooms in different schools and institutes on the island where, according to Curz, they receive "almost personalized education". Lanzarote also has preferential care centers for children with motor and hearing disabilities, as well as a hospital classroom to care for students when they have an illness.
Infrastructure
The island director of Education has also highlighted the infrastructure that has been developed on the island during the last 6 years. Thus, he highlighted the IES Playa Honda, the CEIP Costa Teguise, the CEO Argana, the IES Puerto del Carmen, the CEIP La Asomada-Mácher and the IES Costa Teguise, the latter currently under construction.
The works pending execution are the CEIP La Destila, the IES Playa Blanca, the CEIP El Quintero (San Bartolomé), the CEIP María Auxiliadora (Montaña Blanca), the CEIP Liria (Tinajo), and the IES Maneje. Precisely, the La Destila school has been highlighted by Cruz as one of the pending tasks that he has had to do. "I am concerned about the future that the La Destila school may have, which is a work that should have been done a year ago and that has not yet seen the culmination of the eviction process.
Cruz has also referred to the IES of Haría, whose project has already been completed and is in the bidding phase. "The idea is that in September it can be put out to tender," he said.
Other works that the island director of Education has stated that "are already being done" or about to begin are extensions in Playa Blanca, Costa Teguise, in the Ajei school (San Bartolomé), Uga, La Garita and Guatiza. "These are works that are already budgeted, approved and supervised and that some are already in the execution phase".
To all this, Cruz added, we must add four self-supporting pavilions and another four shade pergolas that have been made in this time.
Improvement of performance in La Graciosa
Finally, Cruz wanted to highlight the "improvement of school performance" that has occurred in the CEO Ignacio Aldecoa of La Graciosa. A center that has 72 students and 11 teachers at present and where, in addition, the connectivity has been improved so that teachers can "go and come every day" to the eighth island.